Crosscut Part Deux
by crystalquirt
Summary: Thunderbirds Are Go! It's another of Van Arkle's Abandoned Mines and this time Scott does get locked in the furnace. It's all because two boys call in a false report of someone who needs help. They want International Rescue to get rid of ghosts in the mine for them. Ghosts don't exist, so it was someone else.
1. Chapter 1

Crosscut Part Deux

by Crystalquirt

It's another of Van Arkle's Abandoned Mines.

[[[ I do not own anything to do with 'The Thunderbirds Are Go,' past or present. [Wish I did] but I just love this show and do not get to see new episodes very often. It is so awesome and great entertainment for all! This story is a work of Fan Fiction, and no profit is made from it.

Writing and reading other writers fan fiction about The Thunderbird's Characters helps me fill the void between new episodes and I hope with constructive criticism, helps my writing improve. ]]]

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"Tracy Island, this is Thunderbird 5, we have a situation," John called.

"What's up Thunderbird 5?" Scott asked.

"Remember your pal, Miriam Van Arkle?"

"How could I forget? She tried to kill me three times in three different ways in not much more than three minutes," Scott admitted.

"We have a report of two people trapped in the abandoned Van Arkle Diamond & Gold Mine in Namibia. Mining operations stopped twenty years ago when the supply of gold ran out. The diamonds had all been extracted years before that," John said.

"Why would people have gone inside?"

"and how? Wasn't it sealed?"

"I've contacted Miriam Van Arkle at GDF Headquarters, and she knows of no reason why anyone would be inside the mine."

"How did you find out that there are people inside?" Virgil asked, sitting down on the couch in front of where Scott was standing.

"We had a report of at least two men going inside and soon after there was a cave-in. The kids who reported it ran straight to where they could make contact and then couldn't find their way back to the mine to give us an update."

"It's just as well. They might have gotten themselves into trouble too if they would have gone back."

"Shall we Bro?" Virgil asked Scott.

"Sure. We're on our way, Thunderbird 5."

"FAB, Thunderbirds 1 and 2," John said. "I'll send coordinates to you in flight."

"FAB, Thunderbird 5 – Thunderbirds Are Go!"

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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In flight

"Scott, remember the last time when you wouldn't wait for me?" Virgil said when he saw Thunderbird 1 leaving him in the dust.

"Yeah, but this is different. There are no diamonds or gold left for anyone to be trying to protect, and Miriam is not down there with a huge, very heavy Exo Suit. Maybe I can at least locate the trapped people before you get there. That way we'll know where to start with the Mole."

"FAB, Scott," Virgil said, wishing his brother could wait patiently. Just minutes later Virgil heard Scott's voice on the radio.

"I'm at the mine, and I'm going in. The entrance has been unblocked. I also don't see any evidence of a cave-in yet, but I'm not picking up any life signs either. The cave-in must have happened deeper inside."

"Thunderbird 1, can't you just wait? I'm only 9 minutes behind you." Virgil said.

"No trouble Thunderbird 2, I know you'll catch up," Scott said as he jogged inside, his hand held scanner actively looking for any sign of life.

To get down into the gold mine, this time Scott only had to use one grapple pack. He landed in the main processing room. Lined up on long narrow tables were iron trays to pour the gold into bricks. There were old tracks and one old ore car visible in the area. Three furnaces positioned under three huge cauldrons were so dusty and full of cobwebs that Scott couldn't tell what they were at first.

When he got closer, he said, "Wow, Virgil, they used wood-burning furnaces to melt the gold here. Oh, scratch that, I see gas intakes and valves under all this dust. There are still some traces of natural gas down here."

"FAB, Scott," Virgil answered.

"I'm from International Rescue!" Scott called, "Is anyone here?"

A shuffling sound behind one of the furnaces drew him to look behind it. A tall, dark and very large, figure stepped out behind him. Scott felt someone nearby and turned to look. Before he could see the face, he felt a sharp pain at his temple.

The person had hit Scott in the head. Scott fell to the side, and the person dropped the long, iron tongs he used to hit Scott, on the ground next to him.

Blood began to soak Scott's hair and ran down on his cheek. There was blood and a chunk of Scott's brown hair on the tongs.

Lying on the ground Scott's powerful flashlight was still on and lit the area well enough to see.

Scott's attacker wore old clothes including an old, black western duster, had only one tooth showing when he smiled at Scott and long ratty hair and beard. He looked kind like an old miner, right out of the old west in the United States.

He spit a big wad of homegrown chewing tobacco on the ground near Scott's head and bent down to pick him up. The miner carried Scott across his arms to the nearest furnace, dropped him inside like a bag of potatoes and closed the furnace doors.

When the stranger spoke, it sounded more like a bear growling. "You won't be getting our treasure!" Just for good measure, he put a modern padlock on the furnace door, to make sure Scott wouldn't be getting out.

Scott groaned and opened his eyes to total darkness. Groggy he tried to sit up, but only banged his head again on the top of the furnace. He held his head, and his fingers found the large laceration on his scalp.

"Ouch," Scott mumbled and fell over on his side again. He managed to touch the IR logo on his harness, and it glowed in the small space, but Scott's eyes were closed again. "'gil . . . Ambu . . . 'n't." he mumbled into the comm.

"Scott, come in! I can barely hear you!" Virgil said as he landed Thunderbird 2 next to Thunderbird 1. Scott had passed out again.

"Thunderbird 5." Virgil began. "Come in - it's urgent!"

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"I'm here Virgil, what's happened?" John said.

"I think Scott is trying to contact me from in the mine, but I can't make out what he's saying. Here's the recording, can you enhance it?"

"Sure, it will just take a moment to begin playback," John said.

Virgil listened as he jogged to Thunderbird 1 to get Scott's helmet. He was already wearing his helmet and his Grasping Arms.

Soon he heard the playback and cried, "John! He clearly said 'ambushed' and 'don't'! He could already be hurt! I'll be in contact."

"FAB Virgil - I'll get Kayo and the others on their way. It might take a little while; they're looking for survivors in that mess the earthquake made in Russia last night." John said.

"FAB, John, I'll find Scott," Virgil said.

"Thunderbird S, 3 and Firefly, this is Thunderbird 5, come in. Urgent!" even John sounded worried when he called them.

"This is Shadow - What's up, John?" Kayo asked.

"Scott's in trouble and I'm worried about Virgil trying to handle it alone," John answered

"What's the situation?" Kayo asked.

"Scott went down in a mine alone, and now I've lost contact. He got one last message through that clearly said 'ambush' and 'trap.' Now Virgil is going into the mine alone to find Scott."

"I'll get Alan and Gordon. They called in a few minutes ago to say they found the last of the survivors downtown and were getting them out. John, give us coordinates en route."

"FAB Thunderbird Shadow," John replied.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Wearing his Grasping Arms, Virgil jogged a little awkwardly to the mine entrance. There were signs posted, 'Danger,' 'Keep clear' and 'No Trespassing' but the mine entrance that had been boarded up a long time ago, had more recently been reopened.

Near the mine entrance, Virgil saw freshly dug and fertilized dirt with a short fence around it. Tall, large-leafed plants grew inside the fence. Virgil pinched a leaf and smelled it, "I think this is Tobacco growing by the mine, Thunderbird 5 and it's well cared for."

"I didn't think anyone grew Tobacco anymore," John said. "If you do go in, be careful Virgil, The others should be there soon."

"I can't wait for them John, Scott may be hurt."

"I know, just don't get yourself hurt too," John said.

Just before Virgil went inside, two teens called out to him from a distance. When he turned to look, they were running toward him.

"Wow! You are a member of International Rescue! Are you going inside that mine?" the blond boy said.

"I sure am. Are you the kids that called this in?" Virgil asked.

"Yep - We're sure there are two guys stuck in there."

"Okay, you two stay far away. Go all the way over to Thunderbird 2 to wait, okay?" Virgil instructed.

"Okay, but we should warn you!"

"Warn me about what?" Virgil stopped and asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"This mine is haunted by two brothers who they say died in the mine! They say that they attack people to protect the diamonds."

"There's no such thing as ghosts." Virgil said, "Get back now."

The two teens did as they were told, sort of. They moved away a little, but when Virgil disappeared into the mine, they came closer again.

One boy said to the other, "Now, International Rescue can get rid of the ghosts and we can go in ourselves later and look for gold and diamonds."

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Even though Virgil was worried about Scott and wanted to run inside blindly, he went more slowly and carefully than Scott did.

The Grapple Line that Scott used to go down still hung from the cliff and Virgil used it himself. He hung onto it with his suit's mechanical claw. A loud clank echoed in the mine when Virgil landed on the same spot where Scott had stood. He saw Scott's footprints in the dust and followed them to the area behind the closest furnace.

There he found the bloody tongs used to attack Scott and picked them up.

"Fresh blood," Virgil held the ends of the tongs up to his shoulder torch and saw the hair. "And this is the same color hair as Scott's – Scott?"

Virgil called.

When he came out from behind the furnace, Virgil noticed many sets of footprints where apparently more than one person had been walking back and forth all over the large area.

"I'm not finding any of Scott's footprints beyond here, and ghosts don't leave footprints last I heard," Virgil thought aloud.

"Thunderbird 5, can you hear me?" Virgil called.

"Go ahead Thunderbird 2." John answered, "You're breaking up a little, but I can hear you right now."

"I'm in the mine, but bad news, John. I found evidence that Scott's been attacked, but I have not found him yet. What's Thunderbird Shadow's ETA?"

"Shadow hasn't left the earthquake scene yet. She said it wouldn't be long. Thunderbird 3, with Alan and Gordon, will be joining you too."

"Have Gordon and Alan wait topside. I'm sure that there is someone down here or maybe several someones who are intent on doing others harm." Virgil said.

"I'm still not scanning anyone in the mine, Thunderbird 2, not even you."

"I'm not down that deep, Thunderbird 5. All the traces of precious metals and iron are probably messing with our scanners." Virgil guessed.

"If Scott was dazed he might have wandered down one of these tunnels trying to find a way out. I'm going in," Virgil said and entered the nearest tunnel. He never heard John acknowledge his message. There were no signals at all in the tunnel.

Only ten meters inside, Virgil's shoulder torch lit up two figures that had looked like shadows until the light hit them directly.

"Hello! I'm here to rescue you . . . I think." Virgil said.

The figures remained still and silent.

"Have you seen someone in a blue uniform like mine?" Virgil was frowning after he didn't get any getting any answers.

Rather than answer the questions, the smaller of the two men ran at Virgil screaming like a banshee; He braced himself with his armored arms crossed in front of his body and let the man run into his Exo Suit. The man fell back cursing, and now the other man joined him, and they both ran at Virgil.

"Stop! I don't want to hurt either of you – I'm here to help!" Virgil cried as he backed away.

"We don't need any help – This is our mine and our gold, and you can't have any!" The large man took a swing at Virgil's head. Virgil blocked again with a Grasping Arm. The little guy kicked Virgil's leg but contacted with Exo Suit, so Virgil was not affected.

"Even if there is gold here - you guys can have it!" Virgil said, "I only want to find my brother – where is he? He's dressed in a blue suit like mine, and . . ."

"Brother Bart! I think you can git 'im." The smaller of the two said, backing up.

"I believe you're right, Billy Ray," Bart said. He grinned and pointed above Virgil's head. Virgil looked up and saw an old fashioned stick of dynamite wedged above his head, behind a support beam. When he looked back at the two men, one of them had an antique shotgun.

Virgil instinctively put his mechanical arms up to try to cover his head as he turned to run. Bart fired the shotgun over Virgil's head at the dynamite.

The dynamite blew up and knocked Virgil down. Wood, rock, and dirt down fell steady on him. Virgil's Exo Suit and helmet helped protect him from the falling rock, but the continued pounding buried him before he could get away.

The cave-in left one grasping claw and Virgil's hand visible. His slipped off of the grasping arm's controller and didn't move anymore.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"Thunderbird 5, this is Thunderbird Shadow, arriving in the danger zone. I see Thunderbirds 1 and 2, but nothing else." Kayo said, "Are Virgil and Scott still in the mine?"

"At last contact, they were both in the mine, Shadow – I haven't been able to contact them since Virgil said he'd found evidence that Scott had been attacked. He did not say what the evidence was. I'm worried." John admitted.

"Here comes Thunderbird 3. I'm going in, Thunderbird 5." Kayo said and ran to the mine entrance.

Behind her, Thunderbird 3 was landing. "This is Thunderbird 3 landing in the danger zone. We will wait near the mine's entrance as ordered." Alan reported.

"FAB Thunderbird 3," John acknowledged.

"I don't know if I can stand just waiting around out here for long," Gordon said.

"Me either, I hope we hear something soon."

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Quieter than a cat, Kayo came down the grapple line following her brother's footprints. She landed silently and walked to the furnace, then down the wall to the first tunnel. When she looked in, her helmet lights lit up the pile of rubble with Virgil's Grasping Claw and hand sticking out from under the edge of the pile.

"Oh no!" She ran to him, took his hand and felt for a pulse. Virgil's fingers weakly closed around her hand.

"Thunderbird 3! Come in! I need you down here with digging equipment, lift jacks and whatever else we need."

"FAB Kayo, we're on our way. What's happened?" Alan said. Gordon ran to get the equipment.

"I found Virgil buried under a cave-in. He's alive, injuries unknown." Kayo said, "But there's still no sign of Scott or the people he came to rescue."

"FAB," Alan said, sadly. Worried, he ran to help Gordon get the digging equipment.

"FAB, Shadow," John acknowledged, "And I'll call the GDF."

Gordon and Alan tied all the digging equipment in a bundle and lowered it on another grapple line down into the processing area. They used separate lines to get down.

Kayo called them over. She had been digging and moving rock and uncovered Virgil's arm and saw part of his helmet.

"How is he?" Gordon asked.

"Virgil hasn't stirred, and he won't respond to stimuli, but his fingers moved when I first found him, and he has a good strong pulse."

Gordon moved right in beside her and started digging. After only a moment Gordon said we're gonna have to move this beam! Alan, go get the Lift Jack."

Alan ran across the room, back over to where they left the large bundle of digging equipment.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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In the shadows

"Looky, Brother Bart - that little one is away from the others." Billy Ray whispered in the darkness, "I got him."

"Good on ya," Bart answered.

Billy Ray snuck up behind Alan when he was bent over to untangle and pick up the Lift Jack. Alan cried out in surprise and found himself suddenly in a headlock. A smelly arm held him tightly around his neck, and a knifepoint pressed to the side of his neck.

Weakly pulling on the smelly arm only made the arm tighten and the knife cut his neck deeper. Alan gritted his teeth and frowned, trying to see who held him.

"Where are all you people coming from?" Billy Ray yelled in Alan's ear.

"We came to help! We had a report that someone was trapped down here!" Alan tried to answer.

"You lie!" Billy Ray accused.

Kayo and Gordon stopped digging to look when they heard Alan yelp. Kayo looked too but showed no emotion. Gordon looked very angry and even growled when he saw Alan being restrained and threatened with a knife to his neck.

Bart joined his brother, Billy Ray, and they stood together facing Kayo and Gordon.

"You're trespassing, and we can shoot or do anything else we want with trespassers!" Bart threatened, looking at Kayo. He spit on the ground between his feet. "We could use some help to dig deeper, and I think we both could use some female companionship."

"We aren't trespassing, and we aren't going to dig - or do anything else for you," Kayo said sounding menacing.

"We got a call for rescue," Gordon stammered, "There was a report of someone trapped in here - My brothers only came to help, and now they're both probably hurt!"

"Or dead!" Bart answered, smiling with his one tooth showing. "No one needs rescue here. There won't be enough left of any of you newcomers for rescue either." Bart yelled.

"You couldn't have killed my brothers, please," Alan cried and struggled. Billy Ray pressed the knife to his neck, drawing a little more blood and making him yell. Alan looked desperately at Gordon.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Kayo yelled.

"Where is our brother?" Gordon asked, but the strangers just smiled.

"We're not getting anywhere talking, Gordon." Kayo spoke softly, "These two are idiots, and fortunately for us, they're standing together. I'll take them both out and get Alan. You keep digging Virgil out."

"Yeah, and see if you can get them to tell you where Scott is."

"FAB, they will," Kayo answered, "one way or the other."

Gordon went back to digging Virgil's legs out.

Kayo started talking again and took a step toward Alan's attackers.

"What do you think holding my brother at knife point will do?" Kayo asked calmly.

"To make you give yourself up! Dumb old girl!"

Kayo walked closer.

"Stop right there, or Billy Ray will cut him!" Bart threatened.

"Yeah! I'll cut him!" Billy Ray echoed his brother's statement.

"What are you afraid of? I'm just a dumb old girl, and I thought you wanted some companionship." Kayo said sweetly.

"Yeah and ur purdy too," Billy Ray said grinning like an idiot. Bart bopped him in the head.

"We'd like to ask you to stay willingly with us," Bart said.

"That won't be happening," Kayo said under her breath as she smiled sweetly.

Gordon could not help but look over at Kayo when they invited her to stay with them. She was fine as always so he went back to digging as quickly as he could to get Virgil out of the cave-in.

"I'm giving myself up, just like you said you wanted," Kayo spoke softly and sweetly. "Gordon will give himself up too, as soon as he finishes what he's doing." Her sweet tone of voice didn't change, even as she kicked Bart right in the gut and gave him a karate chop to the back of his neck that put him down.

It happened so fast that all Billy Ray could do was turn toward her so that Alan would be between Kayo and himself. The movement made the knifepoint move, and Alan got a longer cut on the side of his neck. He whined and gritted his teeth. He was scared half to death.

"You stay back, or I'll cut this one's head right off!" Billy Ray threatened.

"Yes, and when you hurt him, there will be nothing to keep me from killing you in a most unpleasant, lingering way. I suggest you let him go and give up without a fight."

Kayo did not wait for an answer; she spun around and struck Billy Ray's fingers that held the knife so hard with her heel that it came away from Alan's neck and skittered along the floor.

Billy Ray tightened his grip on Alan. "I think you broke my fingers!"

"You better give up, or next, I will do more than break your fingers," Kayo said.

"Kayo, behind you!" Alan cried suddenly.

Without even turning around, or looking, Kayo raised her fist, and her knuckles met Bart's nose just over her shoulder. He fell back crying, and she brought her elbow down on his neck hitting him much harder than she did the first time.

"What did you do to my brother?" Billy Ray yelled.

"I think you just saw what I did to him. Just think what I'm gonna do to you for threatening MY little brother!"

AS she spoke, she got close enough to grab the arm that held Alan.

Alan turned and twisted out of Billy Ray's grip at the same time, and Kayo put Billy Ray down next to his scruffy brother.

"Thanks, Kayo!" Alan said as they ran back over to Gordon and Virgil.

"My pleasure," Kayo said.

Gordon had Virgil uncovered, except for one leg from the knee down that had a large rock on it and the long wooden beam across his shoulders that he still needed the Lift Jack to move.

"I need help moving that rock too, so it doesn't roll onto Virgil and crush him!" Gordon said as Alan, Gordon, and Kayo came over.

"FAB," Alan said.

Gordon held the beam from the end, and Alan lifted it in the middle, with Kayo on the other end, and they rolled it all they way off and put it back down on the floor.

Alan put the Lift Jack right against the large rock and unfolded the jack's automatic stabilizers, right next to Virgil's leg. He pushed against the Jack, at the same time he pressed a button to activate the lift and the pressure came off Virgil's leg. Gordon and Kayo pulled Virgil out by pulling on his Exo Suit.

Keeping Virgil's body straight, the three of them carefully rolled him over. Gordon and Kayo released his grasping arms and Gordon held his shoulders up a little as Kayo they pulled them out from under his back.

Alan released his legs from the Exo Suit.

"Gordon, take his vitals and report to Thunderbird 5. We will find Scott." Kayo said.

"Alan, I have a feeling that those two are ordinarily very lazy. I doubt that they move very far from this area even when they think they're looking for gold. So I think it's safe to say that they probably wouldn't take Scott very far from where they attacked him. We have to cover every square inch of this place.

"But that stinky one said he was dead," Alan said with fresh tears in his eyes.

"Don't even think that - they implied that he could be dead, but they didn't kill Virgil. So I have to believe Scott's not dead." Kayo said. "And they were both stinky."

Alan started on one side of the room, and Kayo started on the other looking in every dark corner whether they thought Scott would fit in the space or not.

Gordon stayed with Virgil and sent his vitals to John, now that they were out of the tunnel.

After searching one dark corner behind the molds to make gold into bars, Alan looked over at Kayo, exasperated and worried because he didn't find Scott right away. "This room is not that big," he said to himself.

"Kayo! There is no sign of Scott over here!" Alan stopped speaking. He paused, thinking and then suddenly said, "Wait a minute . . . That furnace over there by you, Kayo – it's the only furnace with a lock on the door."

"You're right," Kayo said. "Why would this be the only furnace they locked?"

"Why would someone lock a furnace at all?" Alan thought aloud.

"Those two idiots must have wanted to be sure someone stayed inside of it!" Kayo said.

Alan tapped on the side of the furnace and yelled, "Scott? Are you in there?" He paused for a moment and said, "No answer."

"Virgil said that he found evidence that Scott had been hurt," Kayo started to say. She yanked futilely on the lock.

"Yeah, he might not be able to answer. This is bad," Alan said with tears forming in his eyes.

"Or he might just not in there." Kayo thought grimly. She was busy examining the lock. "Don't let your imagination run away with you."

"But there's no key, and we don't have a passcode. This lock is pretty high tech to be in an abandoned mine." Alan said.

"No problem." Kayo found a weak spot on the lock. She spun around and brought her heel down on the lock. It cracked open.

Alan's hands shook as he pulled the lock out of the brackets and opened the doors.

"Oh no – he's in here!" Alan gasped when he saw a bit of blue in the darkness.

"Step back Alan. I'll get him." Kay wanted to protect Alan from finding out the hard way if they'd found Scott too late. She made Alan get out of the way before he could look closely at his brother.

Kayo stuck her head and shoulders inside the furnace and felt Scott's neck for a pulse. She exhaled with relief when she found that he had a heartbeat.

"He's got a pulse, but he's unconscious," Kayo called out to Alan.

With Scott facing away from her, Kayo grabbed him under his arms and pulled. As she pulled him out, she said, "Alan, grab his legs, we'll let him down easy."

Alan caught Scott's legs, and they lowered him to the floor. Alan gasped when he saw the blood that had run down Scott's cheek and across his lips from his head wound.

"While I send John his vitals, go see if Gordon needs any help with Virgil." Kayo hoped to spare Alan any more sudden surprises.

As Alan got close, he could hear Virgil's voice, sounding groggy but talking.

"My leg hurts," Virgil said.

"Do you feel pain anywhere besides you leg?" Gordon asked.

"No – Oh! – There are those two men – you gotta get out of here! They use dynamite when they're mad!" Virgil cried urgently and tried to sit up.

"It's okay, Kayo's here, and she took care of both of them," Gordon answered holding Virgil down; with his hands on his shoulders.

"And we found Scott. He was locked in a furnace." Alan said.

"How is he?" Virgil asked.

"Not good - he's unconscious. His head bled a lot, and I t-think there was blood in his mouth," Alan said. He hiccupped trying to keep from crying and failed miserably.

Virgil nodded at Gordon, to let him know he didn't need anything, and to comfort Alan.

Gordon stood up and gave Alan a hug. "Seeing Scott so badly hurt must have been awful."

"Sorry Gordon, I'm okay now," Alan said, "Kayo is sending his vitals to John."

The whole cave shook, and the roar of big engines grew louder and louder outside the mine.

"That must be the GDF landing," Kayo yelled.

"That's them, arriving just after the nick of time," Gordon said, trying to make Alan smile.

"Come on, get me up!" Virgil said. "I want to see Scott, and we gotta get out of here."

Gordon and Alan got under Virgil's arms and lifted. He was taller and heavier than either of his brothers, and they had to work hard to get him up.

"Crud! I can't use my leg at all, sorry guys." Virgil was frustrated.

"It's okay Virg, but boy are you heavy!" Gordon said.

"Try a little harder, Gordo," Virgil said.

From above the processing area, an officer yelled, "Global Defense Force!" Three more grapple lines came down, and the officer who yelled came down with two more officers, very quickly and aimed their weapons around.

Colonel Casey stepped into view, close to the edge. She looked down, surveying the situation.

"Put those weapons away!" Colonel Casey ordered, looking at the two filthy strangers on the floor. "International Rescue has everything under control down there. Help them bring their fallen men and their equipment up."

Kayo was on her helmet comm. "John, we have company from the GDF now. Can you remote pilot Thunderbirds 1 and 3 back to Tracy Island?"

"FAB," John answered. "Did you find Scott?"

"Yes, and he looks bad John."

"I will need to stay here long enough to give my report to Colonel Casey. Virgil injured his leg but swears he can pilot Thunderbird 2. Gordon can help, and they will take Scott to the London Hospital."

"FAB, Kayo," John said, "let me know if you need anything else."

"FAB," Kayo confirmed and went to talk to Colonel Casey.

Alan, Gordon and 2 of the GDF officers helped Virgil onboard with Scott on a stretcher.

Gordon strapped Scott's stretcher onto the treatment table that unfolded from Thunderbird 2's hull just behind the pilot's seat. Alan watched, wringing his hands like Grandma Tracy sometimes did.

The GDF officers left Thunderbird 2, and Virgil readied to take off. He gritted his teeth when his leg burned and hurt just hanging from the pilot's chair.

Only a few minutes into the flight, Alan heard Virgil groan and went to him. Virgil was leaning forward in his seat with his head almost touching the controls.

"What's wrong Virgil?" Alan asked, looking at him closely, Alan answered his own question.  
"You're in terrible pain. I'll take over."

"Gordon, Virgil can't fly! Make him lie down." Alan called as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.

"Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 5," Alan called.

"Thunderbird 5, go ahead Alan," John said.

"Virgil is in too much pain to fly. I'm taking over."

"FAB," John answered, frowning.

Virgil didn't argue. He was too relieved to argue. Lying on the floor with his injured leg elevated helped with the pain a little.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Kayo and Colonel Casey were above ground while her team of officers cleared the mine to be sure no one else was still inside.

The two boys still hung around looking at the activity with excitement.

Kayo saw them. "Look over there, Colonel Casey, we have an audience. I bet those are the two that reported this mess in the first place."

They started to walk toward the boys, and the boys turned to run. Colonel Casey caught up quickly, and the boys gasped when Kayo suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Why are you running, boys?" Colonel Casey asked, "Aren't you the concerned citizens who called in the emergency?"

"Yes, we were just concerned citizens." One boy said quickly.

"We didn't find your two trapped men, but we did find two men who were living down there. Two of our team members were injured by them since there was no warning about the possibility of intruders. One member of International Rescue may die."

"We're sorry!" the shortest boy cried, panicking. "We just wanted someone to get rid of the ghosts so that we could go in and look for treasure."

"Stan! Shut up!" the tallest boy said.

"You mean this was all just a false alarm? Because you thought International Rescue could get rid of 'GHOSTS?'" Kayo said suddenly full of emotion.

"Easy Kayo," Colonel Casey rested her hand on Kayo's shoulder.

"We're sorry. We just thought if we could find a diamond or a little gold, it would help our families get more food."

"Come on boys; let me show you an official GDF flagship." Colonel Casey tried to make it sound fun, but both boys knew they really had no choice but to go as she said.

Kayo followed quietly, thinking about Scott and Virgil and how such stupid circumstances led to their injuries. "If those boys had just reported two dangerous men inside, the GDF would have handled this from the beginning, and no one would have been hurt," she thought.

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To Be Continued . . .


	2. Chapter 2

Crosscut Part Deux 2

by Crystalquirt

[[[ I do not own anything to do with 'The Thunderbirds Are Go,' past or present. [Wish I did] but I just love this show and do not get to see new episodes very often. It is so awesome and great entertainment for all! This story is a work of Fan Fiction, and no profit is made from it.

Writing and reading other writers fan fiction about The Thunderbird's Characters helps me fill the void between new episodes and I hope with constructive criticism, helps my writing improve. ]]]

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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In the sky over London Hospital

Using the civilian comms, Alan got clearance for Thunderbird 2 to hover over the Hospital's helipad. The surface was not strong enough to support Thunderbird 2's full weight, so he had to hover while Gordon and hospital staff unloaded Virgil and Scott.

He lowered the Rescue Lift after the two stretchers, Gordon and the hospital staff were buckled on. Alan watched as they took his brothers into the emergency entrance on the hospital's roof.

Still not wanting to leave, Alan called John, "Thunderbird 5?"

"Go ahead Alan, this is Thunderbird 5," John said.

"Our patients are at the hospital, Gordon went in with them, but I don't want to leave. Would you get Thunderbird 2 home?"

"Permission granted to stay. Please report in with any news. Grandma Tracy, Brains - well, everyone is worried."

"FAB," Alan said sadly.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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A loud beep in a dark warehouse in an unknown city sounded, and The Hood moved from the shadows. "What? Operative 38." He said, showing that everything was annoying him on this day.

"You told me to watch for any member of International Rescue to drop off victims at the hospital."

"You don't have to tell me what I told you! Get on with your report!"

"Thought you'd want to know that International Rescue just dropped off two of their own that were injured seriously, and two more are waiting in the Emergency Department waiting room."

"That sounds very interesting indeed." The Hood said and cut off his operative so that he could think.

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Alan and Gordon just had time to sit down in the waiting room when Colonel Casey followed by Kayo came in.

"Any news?" Kayo said.

"Virgil will need surgery to repair his leg," Gordon said solemnly, "That boulder crushed the bone. They will be inserting pins and an entirely new, metal bone. He will be laid up for weeks, but they think he'll be okay."

"What about Scott?" Colonel Casey asked.

"We haven't heard anything yet," Gordon said.

"I have arranged security for International Rescue while you are here. I will inform hospital staff of the importance of secrecy in all matters about you."

Kayo rolled her eyes behind Colonel Casey's back and then spoke up.

"I haven't been too impressed with your GDF officers, Colonel Casey. I am Security for International Rescue."

"There is only one of you Kayo, as good as you are, you can't be in two places at the same time," Colonel Casey said. "I have two full teams that will stay in the hospital at all times. Guards will be posted outside Scott's and Virgil's rooms."

Colonel Casey excused herself from the group and went to the nurses' station. She asked for the Hospital Administrator to come and meet with her. The nurse hurried to push the button for the Administrator's extension.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Hospital Food

Just a half hour later, while Kayo was patrolling the hospital, she overheard three nurses sitting together in the cafeteria talking about International Rescue.

"I don't know what's so special about them," a young blonde nurse said.

"All the extra security is a pain to deal with while we're trying to do our jobs," another said.

"And they made us move two other patients to different rooms so that they could put those two in a room together," a technician complained.

"And they said it had to be that particular room that was located so that it would be more secure. Why would it have to be so secure?"

"I had to help move a ton of specialized equipment to that room too, instead of taking them to ICU where the equipment was already set up."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kayo interrupted. "What you are talking about so loudly, concerns security. You are supposed to be discrete and observe protocol. I can hear you complaining clear across the cafeteria. If International Rescue's enemies find out that they are here and possibly vulnerable, your lives and the lives of the other patients will be in danger too."

"Who do they think they are anyway?" The blonde said.

"What kind of enemies do they have? Don't they just rescue people from stupid situations?"

"Again, your ignorance, judgment and poor ethics pertaining to your job baffle me," Kayo said softly.

Kayo continued, "Shut up, now - Say nothing more about any of this for your own safety as much as the members of International Rescue."

"Who's going to make us? I can say anything I want to whomever I want," the technician said.

"You can gather your things. You are on leave as of now, and I will recommend you be fired. Hospitals take confidentiality very seriously as a rule."

"As for the rest of you," Kayo continued, "If you continue this, I will see that the GDF gives you accommodations at one of their prisons until this situation ends and my brothers go home."

Kayo left them sitting with their mouths open, but no one dared say anything else. She walked through surgery next. She wore a temporary badge clipped to her color that kept hospital staff from bothering her.

The doors where Virgil was having surgery on his leg were obvious with the GDF officers standing guard. Kayo went to the observation window and watched Virgil for a few minutes. Everyone was working quickly and efficiently enough. The anesthesiologist was attentive to his machines and the sounds they made.

Seeing her biggest and strongest brother with his leg laid open like they were deboning a raw turkey leg, even made Kayo a little sick and she thought she'd seen all the gore and suffering there was on the planet.

Scott was still in a private treatment room, near Emergency. There were two guards standing at his door too. One officer recognized Kayo from the scene at the mine and saluted her.

"That's not necessary Sergeant," Kayo spoke softly on her way into Scott's room.

A team of doctors, nurses and technicians swarmed around Scott. Kayo stood by closely, and couldn't see any more of him than a shoeless foot sticking out from under the sheet. A technician was performing a spot-on Medical Imaging procedure on Scott's head with a hand held MRI device.

"He's holding his own." A male doctor came over and said softly to Kayo.

"What's going on?" Kayo asked, afraid of the answer.

"We're running a more detailed MRI on Mr. Tracy's skull and brain. The extent of the damage done is still unclear. He has not awakened yet."

The doctor noticed that the girl he thought was a GDF Official was taking the news a lot harder than he thought she would, "I'm sorry. I thought you were with International Rescue."

Kayo had tears in her eyes. "I am, and he's also my brother. It's been a hard day."

To be sure that the rest of the family knew about Scott, Kayo went back to the waiting room.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Hidden Enemy

The atmosphere in the waiting room was as sad as it had ever been. The brothers sat together on sofas in the corner. John came down to join the others. He sat facing Alan and staring at the floor.

A man came in wearing a janitorial uniform and emptied the small trash can that sat closest to Gordon. He stepped on John's toes when he reached for a piece of trash on the floor.

"Hey! Watch out!" John cried.

He briefly said, "Sorry," and the janitor got a spray bottle off his cart and sprayed the table, or at the table, he also sprayed Gordon.

"Hey! Watch where you're spraying that stuff." Gordon complained. Alan who was lying next to Gordon on the couch with his feet on Gordon's lap woke up.

"Sorry, Sir. I'll be more careful." The janitor apologized.

The hair on the back of John's neck stood up, and he looked up after hearing the janitor speak.

John asked, "Hey, you! What is in that bottle that you just sprayed my brother with?"

"Why, it's just a little mild blue cleaner." The janitor answered.

Alan perked up and looked at the janitor too. Gordon hadn't heard it yet.

John woke Kayo up. "Here sir, meet our sister, Kayo."

Then to Kayo, who woke up completely alert and on her guard, John said, "Kayo, meet The Hood!"

With a sparkling of light, the janitor's face turned into the Hood's face. He shoved the janitorial cart at John and Kayo.

John fell back and over the end of the couch. Kayo went high and jumped over the cart, coming down right behind the Hood.

Kayo grabbed his shoulder and kicked his foot to bring him down. The Hood turned as he fell and pressed a round ball with small flashing lights of many colors into her stomach.

Kayo screamed when the shock and pain hit her. It felt like it ripped through her guts and twisted her spine into a pretzel and she fell forward on her stomach.

"Help her," Gordon cried and jumped over Kayo to continue after The Hood. John and Alan ran to Kayo. Hospital staff gathered to see what the commotion was about. Two brave nurses came to their aide.

Kayo batted all of the hands away from her, got up and ran after Gordon.

"Kayo! Stay here!" Alan yelled, afraid she might be hurt.

"Alan," John said quickly, "Go check on Virgil. I will go check on Scott."

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Alan ran through the halls, with nurses that he ran past, telling him to stop running.

"No way," Alan came to the surgery department and entered the observation lab.

"At least everything looks quiet here." Alan thought. He pushed the intercom and asked, "How is everything in there? We've had an intruder."

"a doctor answered everything is fine in here. We are closing now we will be done in about ten more minutes.

Alan sighed a sigh of relief and ran to find John and Scott.

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John watched for a moment from the doorway. Only one nurse and one doctor were with Scott then, and they seemed to be taking routine vitals and typing into his digital chart.

"Hi," John said softly.

"Oh Hi, you're Scott Tracy's brother, John, right?"

"Yes, is everything okay in here? We had an intruder."

"Everything is fine. Your brother has improved - his vitals are stronger - although he has not awakened yet."

"That's good to hear, mostly." John stood by Scott's bed. "Come on Scott, wake up – we need you!"

"How's Scott?" Alan entered the room.

"Better and nothing strange happened here," John answered.

"What a relief," Alan said into his comm. "Thunderbird S, did you catch The Hood?"

"No, but I might need some help getting Gordon back up on the roof,"

"What?" John answered.

"The Hood pushed Gordon, and he's hanging about three meters down on a ledge."

"Crud – Alan, Go!" John said. "I'll stay with Scott and Virgil."

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Kayo fired a grapple line to Gordon, and it stuck on the top of the ledge next to his hand. Gordon grabbed onto it and hooked a safety line from his harness and just above the magnetic end.

"Phew!" he sighed when he was safely attached.

Alan joined Kayo on the roof and helped her pull Gordon up.

"That was close," Gordon said.

"Too close," Kayo confirmed.

"How did that happen?" Alan cried, still feeling the stress.

"I thought I had The Hood, but when I took him down, he got me with that taser-ball he used on Kayo, only he pushed me off the roof with it."

"John's alone with the GDF, let's get back," Kayo said and turned to run back to the roof access.

Alan and Gordon followed her.

When they got back to Scott's room, the room was full of people again. They were moving Virgil in with Scott. GDF officers outside, John leaned on the wall by the door, inside. He was out of the way, but still where he could watch everyone.

"We had a call for rescue while Gordon was playing on the roof, but the GDF is handling it. They will call us if they need us."

"Ha-ha, playing," Gordon smiled.

"FAB," Alan said.

As soon as they got Virgil all set up in his bed everyone except a doctor and one nurse left the room.

The nurse kept Virgil covered from the waist down, but pulled the gown he wore in surgery off, to change it.

They all gasped and looked when they saw Virgil's stomach.

Written on Virgil's stomach were the words, 'I will have all your toys and Tracy Island!' in large, black letters.

"Is that a tattoo?" Alan asked.

"No, it's marker ink!" Gordon licked his finger and rubbed the letter 'I' off of Virgil's belly."

"Doctor! How could this have happened while he was in surgery?"

"I don't know, I saw no one in surgery that shouldn't have been, but then we were concentrating on rebuilding Virgil's leg.

"I'll be back," Kayo announced. She stood outside the door and called Colonel Casey.

John took a photo of the message written on Virgil's stomach for evidence that they hoped would be needed when they caught 'The Hood,' again.

The nurse finished putting the clean gown on Virgil and squeezed his hand. "Wake up Mr. Tracy – You're all finished."

"Virgil?" Alan said.

Virgil took a deep breath, and his eyes fluttered open. "Hi," he said, "My leg still hurts."

"Taking care of that right now," the nurse said as she slipped a needle into Virgil's IV line and pushed in a dose of painkiller.

"Hopefully Scott will wake up soon. We need to get out of here and back to Tracy Island."

"Alan, check with Kayo, see if she was able to reach Colonel Casey. Maybe we shouldn't wait for Scott to wake up. Get his doctor's back in here."

"FAB, John," Alan said, "I'll be happy when were all out of here." Alan went out in the hall looking for Kayo and Colonel Casey. He found them at the nurses' station and told them that John wanted to get the family out of there.

Back in the treatment room, Virgil was awake enough to sit up, and he and the others watched as a nurse was preparing to give Scott a bed bath.

"Visitors can leave while I get this done," she said.

"But brother's don't have to leave – we aren't going anywhere," Gordon said. "We all need to stick together until we can get home."

The nurse frowned but proceeded to give Scott a bed bath. He groaned softly when she picked up and washed his arms.

John and Gordon rushed over. "Scott, can you hear us?"

"Scott?" Gordon squeezed Scott's hand, and Scott's fingers closed around his hand.

"You're awake!" Gordon cried.

"I guess I am - where have I been?"

"Do you remember Van Arkle's Goldmine?" John asked.

"Oh, yeah - I remember the pain and then nothing."

The nurse left the brothers alone to talk. She contacted the doctor to tell him that his patient was awake.

"We'll tell ya all about it when we get home," Gordon said.

"Here, put your arms back through the gown." John picked up the gown and held it up for Scott. He moved slowly but tried to do it.

"Wait, what's this?" John said.

John pulled the gown and sheet down a little, and written on Scott's stomach were the words,

'Where is Alan?'

"Oh no."

"Kayo! Is Alan with you?"

"No, he went back to Scott's room. Don't tell me he didn't get there yet."

"No – and we've had another message from the Hood!

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Gagged and arms tied behind his back, Alan was thrown on a gurney, strapped down on his side and covered with a sheet.

He kicked and tried to yell through the gag. Others in the hallways stared at them, and some backed away as the disguised Hood told people that his patent was an escapee from the mental treatment ward.

The Hood, disguised as one of the doctors from the mental ward, who happened to be off that day, pushed Alan to an empty room and parked the gurney in the middle.

The hood pressed on Alan's shoulder to make him roll onto his back, even under the tight straps.

Alan whined in discomfort now that he was lying on his bound hands under his back, and still strapped down tightly.

The door opened, and another man came in with a small case. He was dressed in white pants and a uniform top like a member of the hospital staff, but Alan was sure he was not really employed there.

"Now, boy, this message to the Tracy family will be a little more permanent."

Alan kicked and struggled against the straps as the second man put the case at the foot of the gurney and plugged something into the wall nearby.

The hood ripped the sheet off Alan and threw it on the floor. Then his accomplice cut up and across Alan's space suit, making a large hole exposing most of Alan's abdomen.

The thing that had been plugged in started vibrating, and Alan watched in terror as he dipped the end in black liquid in a jar from the case.

The man moved the vibrating tool toward Alan's stomach, and Alan panicked. Breathing hard, his abdomen moved in and out, and the muscles quivered when the hand got close with the point, dripping in black liquid.

The hood held up a handheld tablet screen to the man and said, "Put this in big letters."

"Will do, boss."

Alan jumped when the man touched his stomach. "This will go better for you if you hold still."

Starting on Alan's left side just under his ribs the man pushed the tip of his Tattoo needle hard into Alan's sensitive skin.

"Aaaghnnnn!" Alan screamed through the gag and kicked, and the man had been correct – more pain followed his kicking.

"You can't get out of this, if you relax, it will be over before you know it!"

Alan whined, breathing hard and fast, he couldn't stop his belly from moving. The pain began again, and Alan gritted his teeth, trying to hold still.

After another moment, the pain was so bad his abdominal muscles started quivering again.

The Tattoo artist complained, "Can I put him out, boss? Just a little choke hold - this would be so much easier."

"I don't want this to be easier for him! Keep working!"

Alan squealed through the gag.

"If your dad were still alive, he'd be really mad at you for getting a Tattoo without his permission, since you are still underage!" The Hood said, laughing.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"Where is Alan?" Gordon yelled at no one in particular. Nurses at the desk nearby stared at him for a moment before they went back to work.

Colonel Casey was pacing. "We're searching the hospital, room by room and so far, nothing."

Sitting in the waiting area, Kayo punched a sofa cushion with her fist and got up.

"I've been over the path Alan took from Scott's room to the Nurses' station a dozen times. I can't find anything – not a trace of what might have happened to him."

"We'll cover this floor and the basement again. John, you stay in the room with Scott and Virgil. You may have to sit on them too, so they don't try to get up and help look for Alan."

"Come on Gordon," Kayo ordered. She and Gordon jogged down the hallway. They passed two teams of GDF Officers doing their room-by-room search for their brother.

"Looks like they've got this area. We'll start in the basement this time. "Gordon, you take the freight elevator in the southwest corner of the building, and I'll run the stairs."

"FAB," Gordon answered and ran for the elevator. Kayo ran much faster than Gordon and was down the stairs and in the basement while Gordon was still waiting for the elevator.

Kayo found herself in the morgue. Still, she braced herself and started looking at the bodies in black body bags and the cooling lockers.

Gordon got ready to get off the freight elevator, impatiently waiting for the doors to slide open. He looked up, and there was Alan standing right in front of him like he had been waiting for the elevator too.

"Alan! What happened?" Gordon noticed his brother's torn uniform.

Alan opened his mouth to answer but his knees collapsed, and he started down. Gordon caught him and picked him up across his arms.

"Kayo! I have Alan – something's wrong with him! I'll meet you upstairs." Gordon yelled into his comm.

"Alan? Alan? Talk to me!" Gordon looked into his brother's face as they rode back up on the elevator.

People stared at them when Gordon got off the elevator carrying Alan. GDF officers fell in, running behind Gordon as he went.

They were almost at the Nurse's desk where Kayo was already waiting when Alan squirmed. Gordon stopped and let Alan's feet to the floor.

"Oh, Gordon! It was awful! It was the Hood – he tied me down and . . ."

Alan swooned again, and Gordon caught his shoulders. Kayo was right there and helped get him to a sofa in the waiting room. A nurse followed with an empty wheelchair in case another Tracy Brother needed it.

Gordon guided Alan to lie down, asking, "What happened to your suit?" He asked. Alan groaned and put his hands up to cover his face, remembering.

Gordon and Kayo pulled the edges of Alan's uniform, open and

' _There is no place you can go_

 _That is beyond my reach!'_

had been tattooed on Alan's stomach.

"This is a real t-tattoo. His skin is all red, and the ink does not rub off!" Gordon stammered.

"The Hood grabbed me – pulled me into a closet – I tried to fight him - I really did!"

"I know Alan – you will be okay," Kayo said.

"I don't want this on my belly for the rest of my life!" Alan cried when he lifted his head up enough to see the first words on his abdomen.

"Brains!" Kayo nearly screamed into her comm. "remote pilot Thunderbird 2 to London hospital now! I'm getting all of us out of here – NOW!"

Kayo's stern expression changed to kindness when she looked at Alan and saw him looking back at her.

She continued, "Colonel Casey, can you arrange officers to help move Virgil and Scott to Thunderbird 2 as soon as it arrives?"

"Of course, you heard her men – we will probably need a couple of nurses and maybe doctors. Check with Scott's doctor to find out." Colonel Casey ordered.

Gordon and Kayo got each of Alan's shoulders and helped him to Scott's room. He and Virgil were awake. John held the door for them to come in.

"Alan!" John said.

Kayo Answered, "It was the Hood sending us another message." They helped Alan sit in a chair between Scott's and Vigil's beds. Alan showed them his new tattoo.

"Oh Alan," Virgil looked like he felt a little sick. Scott just looked very angry.

The skin around all the letters was inflamed, parts of the tattoo were oozing fluid, and the lowest letters on his body were oozing blood.

"Here put him on my bed." Scott said, pulling out his IV line and getting up."

"Scott! Stay still," John tried to argue

"I have a whopper of a headache, but I'm fine. Alan needs care – and none of us are leaving this room until we're ready to go to Thunderbird 2."

"I agree," Kayo said.

John helped Alan lay on the bed and winced when he saw the writing on Alan's stomach.

Gordon opened the door when someone knocked. Kayo stood right behind him.

Two men, dressed like doctors and two nurses were standing outside. "Hi Doctor," Kayo recognized his as one of the surgeons involved in caring for Virgil.

"We were called – there's been another injury? Right here in the hospital?"

"Not so much an injury – but an attack, yes, doctor." Gordon took him to Alan's bedside.

"Some maniac tattooed a message right into my little brother's skin – against his will."

"This injury – attack – do you know if it was done with sterile instruments or anything about the other conditions?"

"No doctor, we don't know anything. Alan seems like he's in shock." Gordon said.

"That's understandable." The doctor looked into Alan's eyes.

Kayo watched the medical 'team' carefully. The second man presumed to be a doctor had a surgical mask on from the start. No one else wore a mask, and he hung back a little, standing closer to Virgil's bed than Alan's.

The man apparently didn't know he was being watched. He turned and spoke to Virgil, "And how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Virgil answered right away, paying more attention to what was happening with Alan. The man pulled a little syringe out of his pocket, and his hand started toward Virgil's IV.

The needle and syringe flew from the man's hand so fast no one even saw how it happened. Kayo landed on the same side of the bed as the man, near the window.

The man yelled in frustration, "You do pay close attention don't you - my Niece!"

"Yes, Uncle!" Kayo grabbed the Hood and twisted his arm behind his back, but the Hood picked up his feet and pushed against Virgil's bed, throwing himself and Kayo against the window.

Sure enough, the window broke, and the hood landed on top of Kayo on a narrow ledge six feet under the window.

The Hood rolled off and up to his feet. He reached back toward Kayo with the Taser Ball, and she was already on her feet and kicked the ball away.

Gordon quickly knocked more glass out of the frame and jumped out. Scott tried to follow him, but John blocked him from going.

"Kayo has this," John said.

The Hood took off running, and so did Kayo, and she was much faster. Gordon was right behind them.

Alan winced and whined a little as the nurse cleaned his new tattoo. They added salve and taped a heavy bandage over the whole area.

"What is that you're putting on him?" John asked.

"It's a new antibiotic tattoo removal salve."

"Tattoo removal?"

"Yes - removing Tattoos is much easier now than it was twenty years ago, but it still takes a long time. Keep this salve on it every night and after six months or so it should be faded enough to hardly see it."

Alan sighed loudly with relief.

"Are you feeling better, Alan?" John asked, "You seem much calmer."

"I guess so – being tied down with the hood looking down at me was the scariest thing I've ever experienced, and then there was the pain – how to people ever want to get tattoos on purpose?"

"Your tattoo artist was not the best - he pushed way too hard and hurried. We wouldn't expect the Hood to hire the best."

"Gordon has a little Tattoo somewhere. He sneaked away from Tracy Island and got it when he was going with Julie; I think it was. Dad was so mad! Ask him to show you sometime." John said.

Scott rolled his eyes. He remembered very well how angry Jeff was.

Still on the ledge, Kayo reached The Hood just after they rounded the southeast corner of the building. She grabbed the Hood's shoulder from behind and jumped into the air. With one hand, she vaulted over his head and landed in front of him.

Gordon stopped behind him.

"You're trapped, Uncle," Kayo said.

"Yeah, give up!" Gordon cried, feeling a little unsure of himself.

The Hood briefly considered his options and rather than confront Kayo, he charged after Gordon whom he thought was the weakest link.

Unfortunately, he was right. The hood swung his arm back at Gordon, and his elbow hit Gordon in the neck. Gordon fell through the window and into an empty room in pediatrics.

"Crud, two windows in one day," Gordon mumbled, coughing as he got up, jumped back through the window and ran after Kayo. They were already half a building away from him.

The Hood was finally tiring, but kayo was just getting started. The hood jumped from the ledge to the roof of the garage, just a few feet below.

Kayo jumped higher and farther and landed in front of the Hood again. "Stop!" You'll never hurt my family again!"

"I didn't hurt anyone, much." The Hood smiled.

"Alan may be permanently scarred, physically and mentally from what you did to him!"

"We all have scars Kayo, right?" The Hood smiled. "It's about time Alan had to deal with his own."

Kayo let her anger get the better of her, and she charged The Hood. She buried her fist into his stomach and brought her knee up under her Uncle's chin. He went down as six GDF officers ran out on the roof to help.

"He tripped," Kayo explained angrily. "Take him to Colonel Casey. I have to find Gordon."

She noticed that Gordon never caught up after being knocked through the window. She got a running start and did a flip in mid-air to land back onto the ledge.

Around the corner, she saw Gordon on the ledge sitting against the wall. He was panting and had his hand on his neck.

"Having a little trouble catching my breath," Gordon whispered when Kayo got close enough.

"Can you walk?"

"Sure, but no more . . . running," Gordon answered breathlessly.

Kayo walked back with Gordon to the first window that had been broken and helped him through. Inside, John caught Gordon by the arm and helped him sit on the edge of Virgil's bed.

"What happened to you?" John asked.

"We caught the Hood and handed him over to six GDF Officers.

"Kayo caught the hood alone," Gordon gasped. "I was resting on the ledge."

"What's wrong with your voice? You sound funny."

"The Hood hit Gordon right in the neck hard enough knock him through a window," Kayo answered.

"Better through the window than off the ledge," Gordon said. "How's Alan?" he said. Alan was up on one elbow, looking at Gordon.

Upon hearing the words 'hit in the neck', the doctor and nurse left Alan's side and went to check on Gordon. After only a moment of feeling Gordon's neck and jaw, the doctor said, "You already have some swelling. It's affecting your voice and is a sign of laryngeal or tracheal injury.

"No way Doc, I'll be okay in a minute. We need to get out of here. I heard Thunderbird 2's engines when we were on that ledge.

"Yes, Brain's called to say that Thunderbird 2 is waiting," John said.

Scott sat in the chair by Alan. "Now that the Hood is in GDF custody I guess it's safe to let Gordon be examined.

"I'll go with him," Alan volunteered, wincing a little when he sat up.

"I'll go too. Kayo said.

The nurse grabbed a wheelchair and made Gordon sit in it. Kayo and Alan followed Gordon to medical imaging.

The others stayed in the hall just outside the room while two male orderlies helped Virgil sit in a wheelchair with his splinted leg out straight.

"Your incision will need regular cleaning and your leg will need electrotherapy every day to increase circulation, healing and muscle function. Do not take the splint off, except to clean and check the incision."

"FAB," Virgil said.

The others were on Thunderbird 2 and ready to go, except for a designated pilot since Virgil was forbidden even to try to pilot by Scott.

Scott volunteered, but John shot down that one. "No one with a brain injury should be piloting a Thunderbird – ever!" John insisted.

Kayo, Alan, and Gordon came up the deck Gordon was wearing a neck brace.

Looking around at all of her brothers, Kayo stated, "You all look like you've been through a blender."

"Hey," John interrupted.

"You got off lucky John. Well, I guess I'm elected to drive this thing!" Kayo sat in the pilot chair.

Virgil said "Hey! Do not call her a thing! I'll show you how to launch." Gordon started to push Virgil over to her, but she said. "No need," and flipped all the right switches.

Thunderbird 2 launched smoothly and headed for home.

Half way home, Colonel Casey contacted them on the International Rescue Secure Frequency. "International Rescue - I have some bad news."

"I hate conversations that start this way," Gordon said.

"I might as well just say it. The Hood escaped."

"No! How did that happen?" John asked.

"The Hood somehow tricked all six of my officers into thinking he was one of them, and just slipped away. The officer he stole the identity from was found, still at the hospital in a closet.

"That is bad," Kayo said.

Scott was so angry he couldn't actually form words, and his headache tripled in intensity. He went in the pod bay and sat alone in a pod.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Kayo was very worried about Alan, even more than the others who had much more severe injuries. As long as she wasn't needed someplace else, she stayed near Alan.

It embarrassed Alan when she offered to change his bandage the next day, so Gordon did it.

"How does it look?" she asked Gordon when he came out of Alan's room.

"Okay, I guess. My tattoo never looked as red and oozy as that mess on Alan's belly."

"You gonna show me your tattoo some time?" Kayo teased.

"Not on purpose," Gordon smiled. "How did Alan sleep? I know you checked on him several times during the night."

"I don't think he slept at all," Kayo said.

"You didn't either," Gordon said. "I don't think any of us slept very well. Except for Virgil, they gave him some strong pain killers to use for a few days."

"John said he had another call for rescue and the GDF was able to take care of it. I hope we luck out and have another forty-eight hours off."

To Be Continued. . .


	3. Chapter 3

Crosscut Part Deux - 3

by Crystalquirt

[[[ I do not own anything to do with 'The Thunderbirds Are Go,' past or present. [Wish I did] but I just love this show and do not get to see new episodes very often. It is so awesome and great entertainment for all! This story is a work of Fan Fiction.

Writing and reading other writers' fan fiction helps me fill the void between new episodes and I hope, with constructive criticism, helps my writing improve. ]]]

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Every day that passed grew more difficult for the Tracy family. Even Virgil was grumpy and impatient, but mostly with himself. His leg hurt because he wouldn't take the pain killers that the doctor prescribed. He said he didn't need them.

By day three, Grandma Tracy was trying to cook his pain pills into cookies to hide them, but then Virgil wouldn't eat the cookies.

Scott was going stir crazy. Keeping him grounded with a head injury proved to be a full-time job for everyone around.

Kayo diligently helped care for her brothers and stayed on top of security on Tracy Island.

John participated in a rescue of a space freighter's crew with Captain Ridley O'Bannon's help, and Gordon helped find a crew that had been lost at sea during a storm. When he was called out, Gordon launched Thunderbird 4 quietly from the island so that he wouldn't have any comments or suggestions from his two homebound brothers. The demands from them wanting to go with him were the hardest.

Alan sat by the pool quietly a lot, alone and with his eyes closed. Memories of being tattooed or rather, attacked with a Tattoo needle kept sneaking into his thoughts, and his eyes would shoot open suddenly. Grandma Tracy watched him look around as if he didn't know where he was for a moment.

"Alan honey, are you okay?" Grandma Tracy said sweetly.

"Yeah, Grandma. My stomach hurts."

"Is it the wounds on your skin? Or do you think you're getting sick?"

"I don't know. I just hurt. I'm going to my room."

"Alright – can I bring you some hot chocolate later?"

"Sure, that would be good, thanks, Grandma."

Grandma Tracy thought to herself, "If hot chocolate sounds good, he's probably not nauseous or sick to his stomach – I think he's heartsick."

"I agree," Kayo said. As Alan left, Kayo came into the lounge area and heard Grandma Tracy talking to herself.

"It's like his fire has gone out," Kayo added.

"We've all tried to talk to him. John came down yesterday. Alan either refuses to talk about it or tries to talk and winds up running away in tears." Grandma Tracy said, "He won't even play his zombie games."

"Maybe he'd like going out on Thunderbird 4 with Gordon for a day, or even an easy rescue."

"Yes, they should patrol the coast. That would be a good excuse to get Alan out." Kayo tapped her IR and said, "Thunderbird 4 – Come in."

"Hey Shadow, this is Thunderbird 4," Came back the cheery answer from Gordon.

"I know you're already patrolling the area, but I want you to come back and pick up Alan."

"Why? I'm fine out here – I've seen nothing out of the ordinary."

"It's not for you - it's for Alan. Grandma Tracy and I think it would be good for him to get away from the island with you for a while."

"FAB," Gordon answered, "Tell him to have his butt ready!"

Kayo looked back at Grandma Tracy's worried look on her face.

"Speaking of patrolling and Tracy Island Security, Grandma Tracy," Kayo said, "I'm worried about the Hood."

"He's escaped before."

"Yes, but now he knows that Scott and Virgil are only days into recovering from serious injuries - and this time he also knows where Tracy Island is."

"What can we do about it?"

"Brain's has set up sonar around Tracy Island that will ping every two minutes. It will detect any ship, sub or plane approaching, no matter how small or how fast."

"How can I help?" Grandma Tracy asked.

"I think it would greatly help if you could watch the island. Using old fashioned binoculars and the cameras can only help. John is monitoring the whole planet, and it wouldn't hurt to have some backup for him. We could all take shifts. Maybe that would help distract Scott and Virgil from their troubles."

"FAB," Grandma Tracy said. In only minutes, she stood on the observation deck at the top of the home and scanned sea and air for anything that shouldn't be there.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"This time, International Rescue, I will destroy your home base. It won't be anything I can't rebuild once I have the Island, your Thunderbirds and all of your riches!"

The Hood pressed a large red, 'Launch' button on his controls and a large Missile launched from his Sub. Then he quickly rose to the surface to watch the destruction of Tracy Island.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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"Missile! - Coming south by southwest!" Kayo yelled into the comms, knowing that not all of her brothers would have time to get to safe places.

Already kicking herself for not preparing better for such a destructive attack, Kayo activated the emergency alarms and locked down Tracy Island.

She ran from her Security Center on the way to try and help Virgil, especially who wad bed bound with his broken leg. On the way she remotely launched Shadow and set it to hover near the island, thinking it might be needed. She also yelled, "Grandma Tracy and Brains, get to the Bunker!"

Virgil!" Kayo yelled when she got to his room. Scott and Alan were right behind her.

"A missile?" Virgil confirmed.

"Yep and it's coming fast!" Kayo said.

Scott and Alan pulled Virgil from his bed by pulling under his arms. They slid his butt off the bed and into the wheelchair.

Virgil gritted his teeth and whined when his leg moved.

"Sorry Virgil, no time to be gentle," Kayo said.

"I know – you three should already be out of here!" Virgil scolded.

"Not and leave you behind," Alan said.

Kayo lifted Virgil's casted leg to the elevated footrest attached to the chair.

They got as far as the living area, on their way out to the trail that went past the pool and to the other side of the island.

Boom! The missile hit shaking Tracy Island so hard that all the windows broke and knocked Scott and Alan off their feet.

Kayo jumped in front of Virgil and pushed his head down before she wrapped her arms around him. Glass from the windows was flying all around the room.

"Kayo!" Virgil cried, afraid for her.

"Oh!" Kayo gasped softly and hugged Virgil tighter for a moment.

"Sorry," she whispered.

The explosion and shaking seemed to last for an eternity, but it was actually all over very quickly.

Kayo lingered a moment instead of standing up right away to check on Alan and Scott.

"Kayo? Are you okay?" Virgil asked.

"Just fine. Do you know how much I hate my uncle?"

"Yes, I think you've mentioned it."

Kayo reached back with her hand and pulled a chunk of glass from her back. "Ow. I bet that left a mark."

Virgil saw it had her blood on it. "Kayo!"

She dropped it and ran to Alan first. Scott was holding his head and getting to his feet.

"Scott! Kayo's hurt!" Virgil cried, trying to roll his wheelchair through the broken glass and window framing scattered on the floor.

The Holo-Generator in the middle of the living area was destroyed by a piece of the roof that fell in. Only the end of one sofa was visible.

Scott joined Kayo at Alan's side. "Is he okay?"

"I think so," Kayo said.

"I'm fine, but look at our house!" Alan said when he stood up and looked around.

"Kayo, sit down," Scott said when he saw the bloody spot on her back. Her uniform and the skin underneath were cut but the glass.

"I'm fine Scott. WE have to reach Gordon."

"Thunderbird 4, Where are you?" Scott said into his comm. "Nothing! I can't reach him."

"Thunderbird 5 – John come in!" Kayo tried.

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

.

"Tracy Island – Shadow, Thunderbird 4 – anyone!" John cried. After a moment he said, "EOS, I can't reach them. All communications are down!"

"At least the scanners still work," John had an image of Tracy Island on his screens.

"Yes, I can see from here," EOS said, "Thunderbird 2's launch and landing strip are gone, blown into the sea."

"And Thunderbird 4's access tunnel has caved in, and the pool is cracked. All the water is in Thunderbird 1's Launch bay now."

"Thunderbird 3 and its launch bay seem undamaged," EOS said.

"Hopefully someone can get to Thunderbird 3 or 2 and contact us."

"Oh no - John!" EOS said, "There is a sub landing on the beach near the house!"

"I see it EOS. That's the Hood."

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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The Hood, followed by six of his baddies got into a small boat and paddled to the beach from the Sub which had surfaced, but that was parked out in deeper water.

Lead by The Hood, they walked up the crumbling deck near the now-empty pool and to the house.

Alan could barely manage more than a whimper when he saw them standing in one of the broken picture windows.

"What is it Alan," Scott asked, but as he looked at Alan, he saw what had made him whimper.

Kayo stood up and took a stance between their intruders and Alan. Scott joined her, standing a little closer to Virgil.

"You Tracy's are terrible housekeepers. Just look at this mess." The Hood said, smiling.

"I never thought you'd destroy Tracy Island – I thought you wanted it for yourself," Kayo said.

"I do, and with your riches, I can fix the damage. In the meantime, you will all have to disappear. I think I will sell you to my friends in a foreign land, where servitude with strict discipline is still the obsession of the upper class."

"You're selling us?" Alan said, not believing his ears.

"There is NO WAY!" Scott clenched his fist and took a step toward The Hood. "This is 2060! There isn't anyplace on earth like that anymore!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised what's still on Earth, that you know nothing about, after growing up in this secluded castle of yours."

"Easy Scott – there are 6 of them," Virgil whispered.

"Of course, that one will have to recover before I can ship him out." The Hood said to his baddies. "Restrain him while we take the others."

Two of the baddies went to Virgil, and he took a swing at them from his chair but missed. Together, the baddies kicked his chair over.

"Aaah-Oof," Virgil gasped when he and his casted leg landed on the floor amongst all broken and splintered wood and glass.

Another baddie had a gun on Alan threatening to shoot him if Kayo moved. Two baddies tackled Scott when he tried to help Virgil. Virgil's head hurt too badly to put up much of a fight.

"It is futile to resist me." The Hood bragged.

The two baddies that knocked Virgil and his wheelchair over, rolled him onto his stomach. Even with Virgil down with a badly broken leg, it took both of them to make him put his hands behind his back and get the cuffs on.

One of the baddies lost his temper and punched Virgil in the ribs trying to make him hold still. Virgil gritted his teeth and whined into the floor.

Alan cried, "Virgil!" and tried to go to him, but as he went by, a baddie grabbed him in a chokehold and said, "No No! Stay out of it!"

Then they joined The Hood's other baddies, made Kayo, Alan, and Scott stand together and forced them to put their hands behind their necks for handcuffs.

All six henchmen with guns surrounded the three members of International Rescue. Scott angrily put his hands behind his neck as they instructed, but cooperated. His head hurt too much to argue, and besides, they did have guns.

Kayo was cool and calm as she put her hands where she was told. It seemed like she was cooperating until one of the men holding her blew his bad breath in her ear and touched her chest.

There was a satisfying sound and feel of foot-bones being crushed under Kayo's heel as she stomped and ground his foot into the glass-covered floor.

The man sat on the floor and started to yell and curse.

Kayo said, "Shhhh! Your boss would like what you just did to me, his Niece, even less than I liked it."

"You're The Hood's Niece?" The man sucked in his complaint and with great effort went to stand by Scott instead of Kayo.

Alan was keeping it together pretty well until one of the men grabbed his wrists and forcefully pressed his hands to the back of his neck. Alan screamed hysterically and twisted out of the man's grip.

Another thug tackled Alan and sat on him, putting his hands behind his neck and clicking cuffs around his wrists anyway.

"Let me go! Please! No! Not this - Not - again!" Alan tried to kick the man off his back, but the man was heavy, and he could hardly breathe.

The hood watched, enjoying Alan's struggle. Alan's cheek bled after landing with his face in the broken glass. When the man stood up and left him, Alan started shivering like he was extremely cold.

"Alan!" Scott cried and tried to go to him, but on one of the gunmen tripped him.

The explosion of pain in Scott's head, when he fell quieted his objection. "I swear Hood! You will pay for hurting Alan!" Scott threatened.

"Let Alan go now," Kayo continued, "or there will be no place that you can go that will be beyond MY reach!"

"You know Tanusha - you are the only one who threatens me that I believe could actually follow through with your threats. I am so proud of you!"

The Hood himself took extra joy in wrapping another length of chain like a dog collar around Scott's neck to keep his hands at his neck.

One of the thugs timidly did the same to Kayo.

Two men went to Alan, grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet. Alan screamed pitifully and begged them to let him go. They chained his hands around his neck too.

The thugs walked Scott, Alan, and Kayo out of the house and down the beach toward their boat.

On the way, Alan fell to his knees and put his head on the sand, fighting the chains on his wrists and neck so hard that his skin was scratched and red.

The baddies prevented Scott from going to Alan again. One of them went to Alan instead and demanded that he get up, and when he didn't, the baddie grabbed him by the hair and started to pull him along.

"Okay! Okay! I'll walk," Alan agreed. The baddie gave him time to get to his feet, and they continued down the beach.

.

.

Grandma Tracy, MAX, and Brains were in the bunker and watched what was happening to everyone else on the security monitors, but they could contact no one, not even John.

"It looks like The Hood and his thugs have every member of International Rescue subdued and restrained," Brains said.

Grandma Tracy cried, "My boys! And Kayo too! But wait a minute, where's Gordon?"

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[[[[[THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO]]]]]]

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Gordon groaned loudly when he woke up. He found himself sitting in the pilot's seat on Thunderbird 4.

"What happened?" he said and realized that he was hanging upside down. Thunderbird 4 was lying on its roof.

Caught in the explosion, his ship landed upside down into the rocks and then buried in the cave in.

Gordon groaned when he tried to move his arms. "Guess I've been hanging here too long." His arms were asleep and numb when he reached for the controls. "Ouch," he groaned when he forced his arms to move.

He couldn't reach the controls, so instead, he slapped the IR on his harness. "Thunderbird 4 to Thunderbird 5," Gordon spoke slowly as though speaking was hard.

"John? – Thunderbird 5! It's an emergency!" he repeated.

"I know Gordon – it's good to hear your voice! A missile from The Hood hit Tracy Island. What is your status?"

"Thunderbird 4 is buried in a cave-in. I was returning to Tracy Island when the missile hit." Gordon said, "I might need some help getting out of here."

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so, just my pride."

"I don't know the status of the others. Not even Kayo is picking up. There may not be anyone able to help you for a while."

"Oh no, the others! I have to get out of here to help them!" Gordon cried and tried harder to reach the controls. He wanted to fire Thunderbird 4's powerful grapples, but he looked out, and couldn't see anything far enough away to fire at and pull on.

"John, if I fire a missile, well, the rock in front of Thunderbird 4 is very close, the missile would blow right in front of her nose, but could it also open a path for me to steer her out?"

"Unknown," Hold on! I'm trying to see where you are, exactly."

"EOS, are you getting any better readings than my console?"

"Negative John - There is a lot of damage below. Comms and scanning systems are down between Thunderbirds, in the launch area and the Bunker.

That's it! I'm going down there." John said.

"You can't! You'll be completely vulnerable in the Space Elevator!" EOS argued.

"Not completely!" John ran for the Space Elevator's hatch.

"Ouch! – Crud!" Gordon said trying to reach the controls. The restraints that usually kept him safe were only restricting his movement.

Gordon released his safety harness and landed in a heap on Thunderbird 4's roof.

"If I exit the same way I usually do, I'll come out on top of Thunderbird 4, and she'll flood. That better be the last resort." Gordon said thoughtfully, as he stood up.

Gordon activated the Emergency Launch Jets. Thunderbird 4 lurched forward into the rocks at her nose and turned a little. It knocked Gordon off his feet again, and he could hear more rock hitting Thunderbird 4's hull.

"That's no good!" he complained. He hit the grapple release with his fist and shot random rock in front of Thunderbird 4. The grapples pulled the rock even closer instead of pulling Thunderbird 4 out, and more rock rained down on his ship.

"John! I can't free Thunderbird 4 - I'm trying the missiles. John?"

.

John was a little busy and couldn't hear Gordon. The Space Elevator with John controlling it from inside came down to Earth at top speed. John used the claw grabbed the top of the Hood's sub. The claw picked the Sub up and beached it on the other side of Tracy Island.

The Hood stood on the beach watching and screaming angrily.

"EOS – I need to land!" John said. "The others have been tied up and are at the Hood's mercy!"

"The Space Elevator's landing bay has been destroyed," EOS answered.

"Fine, I'll land wherever I land then," John said.

The claw swung back toward the group on the beach. The thugs scattered running in all directions, with the Hood screaming at them.

Scott tried to kick the Hood but without being able to use his arms only landed on his butt in the sand for his effort.

In his anger, The Hood went after Scott on the ground and punched him in the stomach. Scott couldn't protect himself with his hands tied up to his neck. He tried to roll away, but the hood grabbed his arm at the elbow to pull him back where he could hit him again.

With her hands still at her neck, Kayo flew through the air and landed on the Hood's back.

As if she was spurring a horse, she kicked The Hood's belly with both heals and used her weight to pull him backward off of his feet.

She rolled easily back up to her feet to face him before he could even get up.

The Hood screamed angrily and ran at her. When he pulled his fist back to hit her, she stomped on his foot, and brought her other knee up at the same time, effectively smashing everything between his legs.

The Hood couldn't even scream again and fell into a crumpled pile. The key to the cuffs was on a chain around his neck, so Kayo dropped to her knees behind him and fished it out of his collar with her teeth. The Hood couldn't object for the pain he was feeling.

Kayo kneeled by Scott with the key in her teeth and unlocked the chain around his neck.

"Thanks, Kayo!" Scott was able to bring his cuffed hands, in front and took the key from her mouth. Scott unlocked both locks holding her hands and then she did the same for him.

"Alan!" Scott cried. Alan lay face-down on the sand a short distance away, and they jogged over to him. Kayo and Scott kneeled at Alan's sides.

When Scott touched him to unlock his hands, Alan screamed. "Aaaagnnnn! No!" he struggled to crawl away like a worm.

Kayo grabbed his shoulders, afraid he would hurt himself. "Alan – It's okay we're safe!"

Alan rolled over a little, and it seemed like he was trying to recognize her. He said suddenly, 'Kayo!"

While Kayo spoke to Alan, Scott got his arms free. Alan rolled up onto his knees and hugged Kayo tightly around her neck.

Smiling, Kayo put her arms around his back in return. "You're okay now Alan. We need to be sure everyone else is okay now."

John lowered the Space Elevator, fast to hit his target and the claw nearly buried itself in the sand. John jumped out and ran to the others on the beach.

.

Another smaller explosion rocked Tracy Island.

"What was that now?" Scott said, exasperated.

"Gordon – That was Gordon! Come on!" John realized and yelled. "He must have tried a missile to free Thunderbird 4."

Alan jumped to his feet and ran with the others to the damaged living area. Kayo and Scott ran to Virgil. Alan stayed with John. He was trying to use the scanners at Jeff's desk to find Thunderbird 4. "Where is he?" Alan asked anxiously.

.

"Hey man, about time you came to find me. What took ya?" Virgil said.

"We were just getting some sun on the beach," Scott answered.

"What happened just now? I heard another explosion?" Virgil asked them.

"Yeah, John said it was Gordon trying to get himself out of a cave in below Tracy Island.

Scott unlocked Virgil's hands and helped him roll over. Lying on his back, Virgil rubbed his wrists.

"How are the others?" Virgil asked.

"Okay, I think. Gordon was in Thunderbird 4 under Tracy Island when the missile hit, but John has spoken to him since."

"You know, I hate to interrupt, but I really gotta pee," Virgil said.

Scott and Kayo lifted Virgil back into his wheelchair and Scott took him around the corner where no one could see him, near what was left of his room.

Scott grinned and tossed him the empty pop bottle that they'd been using for just that purpose.

"I'm not sure this is big enough." Virgil teased, and Scott left, saying, "Okaayy" and rolled his eyes.

.

.

Unable to reach anyone, even John, Gordon braced himself and fired a missile in desperation.

The explosion that resulted knocked Gordon to the back of Thunderbird 4's cockpit and then forward as his ship was pushed back deeper into the rocks behind him.

When the dust settled Gordon saw a small beam of light coming toward the front of Thunderbird 4.

"Yes! But it's not big enough to get Thunderbird 4 through. Maybe a grapple fired through it will work this time."

"Come on, find something to grab!" Gordon fired blindly.

One line just bounced off of a nearby rock, but the other made it through the opening.

Over the comms, Gordon heard John yell at him, "Hey! Watch where you're firing those!" John swam into view through the opening in the rock.

"John! You found me!" Gordon said joyfully.

"Can you get out?"

"Not without flooding Thunderbird 4. Isn't there any other way?"

"Give me a minute," John said and swam away from the opening.

"What are you doing?"

Gordon's question was answered, not so much by John but by the Claw under the Space Elevator that now blocked the opening that Gordon had just made.

John's voice came over the comm. "See if you can fire a grapple at the claw and hit it."

"FAB!" Gordon fired a grapple, and it latched onto the space elevator.

"Hang on in there," John said

"FAB!" Gordon hugged his pilot's chair, now upside down.

The Space Elevator rose, pulling Thunderbird 4 out of the rocks. The ships natural buoyancy righted her as soon as she was free of the rocks and tossed Gordon around some more.

"Ouch!" Gordon cried when he landed on the floor behind his pilot's seat.

"You okay in there?" John asked, sounding worried.

"I'm okay – thanks, Thunderbird 5!"

Kayo met Colonel Casey and GDF officers on the beach, and they took the Hood and all his men away. The Hood screamed most of the time, but congratulated Kayo before they made him go on their ship.

John stood by Kayo and said, "Good Job Kayo. Now before you do anything else you're gonna let me clean and bandage that cut on your back."

"FAB, i guess," Kayo agreed reluctantly. he walked her to the space elevator and sat her in his command chair. A compartment opened on the side revealing a well stocked first aide kit.

"I've gotta pull your flight suit up to your shoulders in the back." John told her.

"I'll do it." Kayo pulled it up and around her neck, keeping the material and her arms in front of her chest. She winced when the material pulled across her wound.

"Whoa, this is a deep wound. It may need stitches," John said when he saw her back.

"Forget it. Just put a band-aid on it and let me get back to the others. I have not secured the Island yet." Kayo insisted.

"FAB," John agreed and noticed she never winced once while he worked on her cut.

When John was finished with her, Kayo went to find Alan. "Hey, come over here," Kayo yelled. Alan started to walk away when he saw her. He quietly submitted when she made him sit down for her to clean his cheek that had been cut by the glass. When she was finished he walked away without saying a word.

.

Later, to join the others at the side of the empty pool for dinner picnic style, Virgil rolled himself out in the wheelchair. He was happy to see Alan sitting with the others after what Scott said had happened to him when The Hood attacked. It didn't last long. When Virgil got to the outdoor table, Alan refused food and went back to the destroyed living area. He kicked the chunk of ceiling that fell on top of his favorite sofa.

Kayo followed him and saw him kick the debris.

"Careful, don't hurt yourself,"

"It doesn't matter. I hurt all over, anyway, and now we don't even have a place to sleep tonight."

"Scott plans on everyone sleeping in Thunderbird 2 and 3's pod bays. It'll be like camping, or for you, camping in Space." Kayo said, trying to cheer him up.

"At least that's better than my room. There's a huge hole over my bed." Alan said sadly.

Changing the subject, Kayo said, "You need to eat something, Alan."

"I was such an idiot today."

"What do you mean?"

"I completely panicked – I didn't even try to help you or the others. You were so calm and cool - I screamed like a baby."

"It's understandable. We're all afraid of something, and this is just because of recent events – it will fade just like The Hood's tattoo on your body, and you will be back to your old self in no time."

"Your right I hope."

"You won't have much time to recuperate. There are a lot of repairs that will be needed on Tracy Island. And as far as I can tell, Thunderbird 3 is the only ship capable of launching normally right now. I have a feeling you are going to be too busy to be afraid.

"As long as no one ties me down."

"You and I will have some special self-defense sessions that I think will help you a lot with your fear."

"When can we start?"

"You have to eat first."

"FAB!" Alan sounded excited for the first time in a while.

Kayo smiled.

END


End file.
